Subscribe

0

Climate & Environment Barbados

Hurricane Beryl Bears Down on Caribbean, Residents Warned to Seek Shelter

Hurricane Beryl, a powerful Category 3 storm, is heading towards the southeast Caribbean, prompting warnings and preparations for potentially catastrophic wind damage and swells.

author-image
Nitish Verma
New Update
Cyclone

Hurricane Beryl, a powerful Category 3 storm, is barreling towards the southeast Caribbean, prompting officials to issue warnings to residents to seek shelter ahead of powerful winds and swells expected to hit the region. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that Beryl, currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean about 110 miles southeast of Barbados, remains "a dangerous major hurricane as its core moves through the Windward Islands into the eastern Caribbean" .

The storm's rapid intensification has raised concerns, with experts noting that a Category 4 hurricane forming this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November, is extremely rare. "Only five major [Category 3+] hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July," hurricane expert Michael Lowry posted on social media platform X .

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada, are at the highest risk of being at the center of the storm's core, with the NHC warning of "potentially catastrophic wind damage" [1]. Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago are all under hurricane warnings, while tropical storm warnings or watches are in effect for Martinique and farther along the storm's path, in southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

A state of emergency has been declared in Tobago, with schools ordered closed on Monday, and a curfew has been imposed in Grenada from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am Tuesday morning. The Caribbean regional bloc CARICOM has postponed a meeting scheduled to take place in Grenada this week due to the hurricane.

Residents in the affected areas are taking precautions, with long lines forming at gas stations and supermarkets, and households boarding up their properties. Beryl became the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season early Saturday morning and quickly strengthened to Category 4, the first ever to reach that level in June, according to NHC records.

Why it Matters : The rapid intensification of Hurricane Beryl is a stark reminder of the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, which have been linked to climate change. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an "extraordinary" hurricane season this year, with up to seven storms of Category 3 or higher . The agency cites warm Atlantic Ocean temperatures and conditions related to the weather phenomenon La Nina in the Pacific for the expected increase in storms.

As the storm continues to bear down on the Caribbean, residents and officials are bracing for impact. The NHC has warned that Beryl is expected to remain powerful as it moves across the Caribbean, and residents in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and the rest of the northwestern Caribbean are being urged to carefully monitor its progress.

Key Takeaways:

  • Hurricane Beryl is a powerful Category 3 storm expected to bring catastrophic wind damage to the Caribbean.
  • The storm's rapid intensification is a rare occurrence, with only five major hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July.
  • Residents in Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago are under hurricane warnings, with tropical storm warnings or watches in effect for Martinique and farther along the storm's path.
  • A state of emergency has been declared in Tobago, with schools ordered closed on Monday, and a curfew has been imposed in Grenada.
  • The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events like Hurricane Beryl are linked to climate change, highlighting the need for urgent action to mitigate its impacts.